(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to exercise devices and, more particularly, to compact low impact therapeutic exercise devices designed for increasing circulation in a user.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Typically, a person does not or cannot exercise while they are sitting. It does not matter whether one is sitting at a desk, or traveling in a plane, train, or automobile; one does not traditionally exercise while sitting. Additionally, many people spend a majority of their time in a sitting or similar position, typically engaged in one of the aforementioned situations. Being able to exercise while sitting in a locale that one does not traditionally exercise at would be beneficial to a person.
The benefits that one could receive from being able to exercise while sitting in a traditionally non-exercising situation include, but are not limited to the following: 1) allowing low-impact office and/or therapy exercise; 2) improving blood circulation; and 3) enhancing weight control. These benefits would greatly help people who either need or want to exercise more and those who are in medical need of exercise through either a therapeutic or rehabilitation program that requires them to exercise during the day, regardless if they are sitting or not.
Furthermore, the mode of motion that a person moves his or her appendages to exercise is important. If one is sitting and performing a stepping motion with his or her feet, one is only exercising a certain subset of muscles. Likewise a different but limited subset of muscles is used for a cycling (circular or eliptical) or sliding (back and forth) motions. Additionally, being capable of alternating between different modes of exercising motion is important not only to exercise more and different muscles and muscle groups, but also to prevent an exercising person from becoming bored and uninterested in continuing to exercise.
Prior art exercise devices for use while sitting at a desk or similar locale commonly employ a stepping motion of a person's feet or at best one mode of motion for the feet, such as stepping, cycling, or sliding. However, the prior art does not appear to combine multiple modes of motion to permit one to exercise in their choice of motional mode.
An example of prior art that involves a stepping motion while sitting in a chair includes U.S. Pat. No. 6,709,368 issued to Chue, Mar. 23, 2004, for Foot Exercise Device. This patent describes a device0020 that has two steps (i.e. pedals or levers), as the exerciser is of the stair or step variety. First one foot presses down on one step, as the other step rises. Then, the other foot pushes down on the other step, and the stepping motion is reversed. Variable resistance in the form of minilevers is provided.
Another example of prior art that involves a stepping motion while sitting in a chair includes U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,521 issued to De Giorgis, Mar. 28, 2000, for Exercising Means. This patent describes an exercise device to enable a person to exercise his or her feet while seated. More particularly, the exercising device enables a sitting person to simulate a walking action. The exercising device has a base, a pivot beam, and two footrests. Rear parts of the footrests can pivot with respect to the base by way of ball and socket fittings, and forward parts of the footrests can pivot with respect to the pivot beam by way of additional ball and socket fittings. The pivot beam can pivot with respect to the base by way of a further ball and socket fitting. When the exercising device is in use the person can place his or her feet on the footrests and tilt both the feet and footrests from side to side. The person can also cause forward parts of the footrests to move up and down alternately by way of the pivot beam by alternately pushing his or her feet down against the footrests.
An example of prior art that involves a cycling motion while sitting in a chair includes U.S. patent application Pub. No. 2002/0107114 issued to Byrd, Jr., Aug. 8, 2002, for Rotational Exercise System, Device and Method. This patent application publication describes an exercise device that includes a frame, a cranking assembly mounted to the frame and an extended user fixture. In one implementation of the device, a user sits in a chair and places his or her feet on pedals and moves the pedals in a cycling motion to turn a flywheel.
Another example of prior art that involves a cycling motion while sitting in a chair includes the Chattanooga Deluxe Exerciser, offered for sale by Promed Products of Atlanta, Ga., USA. This portable device requires a sitting user to place his or her feet on the footrests and then pedal in a cycling motion. The device has electronic controls and an LED display that shows you information such as speed, distance, total mileage, total time “ridden”, and the amount of calories burned.
An example of prior art that involves a sliding motion while sitting in a chair includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,575 issued to Holslag, Nov. 10, 1998, for Portable Exercise Apparatus having Chair Mountable Support Base and Variable Resistance Exercise Arms. This patent describes a portable exercise apparatus that includes a support frame having a base mountable under a chair to hold the base in a stationary position with a user seated on the chair and an upright standard mounted upon the base, a shaft mounted to an upper end of the upright standard and having opposite ends extending from opposite sides thereof, a pair of arms disposed on opposite sides of the upright standard with each arm at one end mounted to one end of the shaft for rotatably mounting the arm to the upright standard, a pair of pedals each mounted to the other end of each of the arms for engagement by a user to create the force necessary to rotate the arms relative to the upright standard, and a resistance generating and adjusting mechanism disposed on the ends of the shaft at the opposite sides of the upright standard and engaged with the one ends of the arms and being operable to generate and selectively adjust a level of resistance to rotation of the pair of arms relative to the upright standard in response to rotation of the arms.
An example of prior art that attempts to combine multiple modes of motion while sitting in a chair includes the Zen-Pro Foot and Leg Exerciser, offered for sale by Zen-Pro Ltd of Shillingford, United Kingdom. This device requires the user to place his or her feet on the footrests, then one may rotate the feet on the rests and/or rock the device side-to-side. The device is not stable as the base is curved in order to accommodate the rocking motion. Furthermore, the device's foot holders are connected directly to the base, through a ball-in-socket connector.
The prior art does not appear to successfully combine at least the three previously discussed modes of exercising motion: sliding, cycling, and stepping. Thus, there remains a need for a compact low impact therapeutic exercise device designed for increasing circulation in a sitting user having multiple modes of motion.